Blood to Blood
by Acantha Rayne Oak-Moon
Summary: Hermione is on a mission. Her career as an Unspeakable led her to the Veil and now she's determined to bring back some very special people for her best friend. (Challenge: The Crayola Colour Prompt Challenge). My reviewers want more so I will do so. I was going to do a Love Actually style but stuff it, I'll just make it another good old epic. I really can't do one-shots.


Blood to Blood

Crayola Colour Challenge Entry

Prompt: Wild Strawberry

For the third time that week Harry made his way down to the Department of Mysteries and just like the previous two times, he found Hermione sitting in front of the towering stone archway which was the only thing in the room.

"Come on, Hermione. You haven't left this place for three days. You need to get something to eat… and some rest.

Hermione barely heard him, transfixed as she was by the swirling white mist inside the archway which didn't seem like it was really there.

She had spent two years training in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable after her inevitable return to Hogwarts to complete her NEWTs and once her training was complete, she had been placed immediately in the 'Discoverable' Team. This meant she was tasked with choosing an artefact or item which had more unknowns than knowns to study it, research it and attempt to make breakthroughs in the abilities and functions of the item before moving on. On her first day in the Discoverable Team, Hermione had chosen the Veil and she had a plan.

It had taken her another year to learn how it worked. It was indeed, as everyone had believed a portal to the realm of the dead. It was not however, one way. Much like how Hogwarts was sentient, so to was the Veil and through much experimentation with the translation of the runes and ancient wording carved into the stone, Hermione had managed, through blood magic that she told nobody about, to begin bargaining with it, which sounded more like begging if anyone was to hear her.

Another six months of building up trust with the archway, of interpretations, tireless research and a restoring potion she invented herself (well adapted from Snape's notes) and Hermione had been offered the return of Sirius Black which she took gratefully and was not bothered about the price of his return; more blood. If she hadn't been so happy to have Sirius back, she might have questioned the dark magic which asked for blood but in the excitement and relief that she'd achieved something so monumental, it slipped her mind. For a while.

By the time she was twenty five, her boss was urging her to change projects but Hermione was on a mission; once Sirius had been returned, the slight wane in her enthusiasm was abolished and she fought and bargained with the archway for hours at a time, offering her blood, potions, she even considered giving it her first born (an old Grimm fairy tale plaguing her thoughts that day.

A year to the day after Sirius was returned, she had an epiphany; her blood wasn't strong enough to call back the souls of those she sought to return; it needed to be a blood relative. If the veil wanted blood, it was the only thing she hadn't tried that would work now; the deaths were too far back in time, only blood calling blood would be strong enough.

'I need Harry' she'd thought, and sent him a patronus.

"Harry…" she began, slowing taking a step back from the veil to turn to him.

"Hermione, come on. You need to get out of here; you're going to waste away in front of that damn veil." He said, grabbing her to pull her closer to the door.

"No, no, no. Stop, Harry. I know how to do it now. I know how to bring them back." She said excitedly, pushing away from him and attempting to look him straight in the eyes. She was practically vibrating with excitement. Harry suspected she'd be jumping up and down in a minute and squealing.

She hadn't told him who she was trying to bring back as she didn't want to get his hopes up but now with the blood-to-blood idea, she had to tell him and if it worked, which she was sure it would, they could bring anyone back they wanted to… Teddy could bring back Remus, Ron or George could bring back Fred, Molly might even be able to get her brothers back. It had to be worth trying.

"Who? Who can you bring back?"

"James and Lily. Harry, I know how to do it now. It's blood magic but it'll work, it has to. It can return anyone who was killed by magic but it needs a blood relative to make the call stronger."

"But that can't be right. How did you call Sirius back? You're not related to him."

"I think the veil gave him to me so I would keep trying. Plus, he was sent directly through the veil; it was what killed him. Bellatrix's curse didn't connect, he just stumbled backwards."

"I suppose that makes sense. Do you really think you can bring them back?"

"Yes, Harry. I really do. But… I'm going to need some of your blood. Use a spell to cut your hand and smear it on the stone of the archway… "

"I don't know about this Hermione. It's really dark stuff; how do you know it will work."

"Have you not learned from the past to trust my brain? I've studied this for years now, I understand how it works and I think I deserve your trust considering I've already given you Sirius back."

"Ok, ok. You're right. I need to trust that brain of yours. I'm sure all your hair in three-quarters brain, just transfigured into curls."

Hermione gave him a mock scowl but guided him toward the archway.

"So all I have to do is splash a bit of blood on the stone, right?"

"Make it a generous helping. The archway is greedy. And think about your parents, call out for them." She stated in an 'all business' tone now that Harry had agreed.

The Boy Who Lived pointed his wand at his left hand and cast a light cutting charm.

The skin of his palm separated and bright red blood, the colour of a ripe wild strawberry seeped from the magically opened wound. He waited a few seconds for the blood to pool before scraping the hand down the stone and calling out.

"Mum… Dad… can you hear me? Come back to me, please."

Nothing happened.

"Mum, you're going to be a grandmother. Come home, please. Ginny's due any day. I want you to be the first one to hold my son. Please Mum…" he pleaded and bargained, tears in his eyes. "Dad… I want your help to teach my son to fly… like you did for me… I want you to teach me how to transform into a stag, just like you…. Come back to me dad. I need to see if we really look as alike as everyone says. Dad…"

Harry was on his knees now, directly in front of the veil. He opened a second wound, one to his other hand and thrust both his arms wide to grasp either pillar of the archway.

Hermione was beginning to feel guilty. If this didn't work she'd brought up all this emotional torment again with Harry for nothing. It had to work though… nothing was going to kill this research and she would make it work.

"Harry…" she began, running to his side and dropping to the floor next to him. "Use the things you're asking them for as a memory, picture it and send them a patronus. You found them inside you to cast it the first time, do it again. Find them again, Harry. Find them." She sounded almost as desperate as Harry had himself and that was what reached through his despair.

Harry looked at her, wiping his eyes before nodding. He took a few deep breaths to calm down and picked up his wand. He imagined his mother holding his baby, he pictured the baby growing to two years old and him and James teaching the baby to ride a broom and then he said it… "expecto patronum" and sent his stag off through the veil to find his parents and guide them home.

"Keep calling them Harry. They're trying to get to you, I know they are." Hermione whispered softly.

But it seemed that calling them again was not necessary; the mist that obscured the portal of the archway cleared and Lily and James Potter walked through hand in hand, led by a silvery-white stag who nodded at the Potters in reverence before cantering toward Harry, nodding again and dispersing into nothing.

Lily and James looked around at where they were for a moment before glancing down at their feet where the two twenty-somethings sat looking up in shock and amazement that it had worked.

Harry scrambled to his feet and offered his hand to help Hermione up.

"Mum?"

Lily Potter smiled and inclined her head in confirmation, just as she had in the Mirror of Erised all those years ago.

"Dad?"

"Yes son. We're home."

"You did it." Harry said, turning to Hermione, in awe; afraid to keep looking at his parents for a second longer in case they weren't really real, in case the veil was just messing with them.

"We did it Harry; you did it. You can't dispute Dumbledore's words about love being the most powerful magic anymore. Look at what your love did. They're really here Harry. This isn't a dream." She guided them all slowly away from the veil, not wanting to risk anyone falling back in.

He turned from Hermione to look at his parents. He looked at James first, a long contemplative look at his father's face before throwing himself into the other man's arms.

James returned the hug of his son, a tear falling down his face.

"I really do look like you." Harry whispered.

"Except for your eyes. You have your mother's eyes."

For the first time in ten years, he loved that statement as he left his father's embrace and turned to his mother to look into her eyes for the first time in twenty-five years.

Lily reached out for her son and he took the two steps into her arms. "Mum…" he sobbed.

Hermione backed away a little to give them space.

After a minute or two, Harry left his mother's arms and turned back to Hermione.

"There is no way in the world I can ever repay you for this… Hermione, you gave me my parents back. You're incredible. I… I don't even know what to say."

"Well I do." James said. "We've always kept an eye on Harry… from the other side… watched you protect and defend him, tell him off and help him with his homework. You're family Hermione." He said and reached out to hug her.

Lily and Harry joined in, making it a group hug until Hermione pulled away first.

"Come on, I think I could use that food and rest you mentioned earlier now, Harry. And I can't wait to see Sirius's face when we show up with your parents."

"Oh, that's where the old dog got to." Lily said. "I was beginning to wonder."

Laughing, they all left the Ministry and headed for 12 Grimmauld Place.


End file.
